HOYS ‘moves with the times’ as qualifiers and cost-saving measures announced

The 2023 Horse of the Year Show (HOYS) qualifiers have been announced, including new opportunities and cost-saving measures for competitors.

This year’s event will take place from 4-8 October, at the NEC, Birmingham, and a Grandstand Media spokesman said “reflective of the current climate” the upcoming season will include an “opening up” of membership requirements for some HOYS classes, with the aim of providing competitors greater choice.

Hunter weights, small hunters, working hunter horse and ladies side-saddle qualifiers will be open to members of The Showing Register (TSR) and Sport Horse Breeding of Great Britain (SHB(GB)), as well as the British Show Horse Association – and it is hoped this will allow competitors to decrease their spend on membership. HOYS “welcomes back” a relationship with SHB(GB), which had run until 2014.

• View the full list of HOYS qualifiers here

“We are working to provide increased choice for competitors who may compete across multiple classes and therefore currently have a requirement to join multiple showing societies,” said HOYS equestrian showing manager Jemima Walker.

“TSR in the past has been a showing society offering membership for HOYS M&M, plaited pony classes and coloureds, however with the new opportunities at HOYS through TSR, it seemed like a natural progression to extend this to the hunter classes too.”

Another change for 2023 is the combining of the intermediate show classes.

“It has been extensively discussed with the relevant showing societies, over some years, the concern about numbers in plaited pony classes. It is the ambition of HOYS that we continue to support these classes, however as organisers we are mindful that they must reflect the current numbers so that we can provide increased opportunities to classes that are growing,” said the spokesman.

“It is for this reason that the intermediate show riding type will now be combined at HOYS to have the 153cm small intermediate and the 158cm large intermediate classes as one championship. To maintain the identity of the classes, classes for both height sections will remain at the qualifying shows along with a subsequent championship to allocate the qualification ticket for HOYS 2023.”

The spokesman added that the number of qualifiers for the intermediate show riding type has increased to 18, to reflect this change. The intermediate show riding type and intermediate show hunter finalists have the opportunity to win a new award at HOYS, based on “presence, etiquette and ringcraft”.

The Scottish Horse Show will return this year as part of the HOYS qualification calendar, with classes including working hunters, the Price Family in-hand, coloured horse/pony, plaited ponies and M&Ms.

“We’re confident that showing at HOYS is developing and moving with the times to reflect a championship that encompasses all breeds and types and provides opportunities for amateurs and professionals alike,” said the spokesman.

“We encourage the seasoned competitors to support the qualifiers new and old, and to be a role model and aspiration for those that are taking their first steps into the showing community.”

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